Those who are not used to smoke at home do not want to have to smell it on vacation. Frequently smoking fellow vacationers therefore diminish the vacation joy. But that doesn't have to be the case: In more and more countries smoking is even banned in hotels – FOCUS Online shows where.
It is no longer just non-smokers who value a smoke-free environment even on vacation. At the latest after the enactment of the German law on non-smoking protection, more and more people have come to appreciate clean air – clothes and hair no longer smell of old smoke and even breathing after a night in the bar is much easier.
However, it is also a fact that in many countries around the world there are no non-smoking protection laws or there are exceptions that still allow unrestricted smoking in some public places. Hotel rooms in which a smoker previously lived are particularly difficult for non-smokers to bear. FOCUS Online shows in which countries you can go on a smoke-free holiday.
Netherlands
Holidaymakers in the Netherlands play it safe. A strict non-smoker protection law came into force there as early as 2004. For example, smoking areas were initially allowed in restaurants, but have been banned for good since April 2020. Smoking is no longer permitted in hotel rooms, but is partially tolerated. Therefore, travelers should still make sure to insist on a non-smoking room – or go to hotels that have no smoking rooms at all.
Holidays in Holland are not just short trips to Amsterdam. You can also take a long break along the North Sea. With the Fiets, i.e. the bicycle, holidaymakers can cycle on infinite Fietspads through dunes and over hills and fields – or simply stretch their feet into the cool water.
Norway
Similar to the Netherlands, Norway has had a strict no-smoking protection law since 2004, which also prohibits smoking in hotels. In the case of violations, it is not the smoker himself who is punished in the Scandinavian country, but the owner of the place – in the event of repeated violations, he can even lose his license.
Norway is not one of the top travel destinations for Germans, but is by no means to be despised. Holidaymakers can go on endless walks, watch the northern lights and whales. The Svalbard archipelago also offers experiences that the European eye rarely sees: It is located between Norway and the North Pole and consists of untouched, arctic wilderness – full of glaciers, polar bears and penguins.
For vacationers who are not into frostbite, the coasts in the south of Norway offer the perfect contrast: there is one beach after the other, fishing villages attract with the catch of the day and the first underwater restaurant in Europe, the "Under", invites you to enjoy culinary delights Enjoy one.
Italy
Pizza in Naples, sunbathing in Calabria or pure island happiness in Sardinia: in southern Europe, Italy vies for the favor of non-smokers. Unexpectedly, the strictest non-smoking protection law in Europe applies here. Anyone who smokes in public buildings in Italy has to pay. But the operator also has to pay. If there are repeated violations in his facility, he is threatened with losing his license, as in Norway.
Nevertheless, further separated smoking areas are allowed in Italy. Some hotels also have smoking rooms, the number of which is almost negligible. As a rule, holidaymakers in Italy should be able to enjoy their trip smoke-free. If you want to be on the safe side, it is best to request a non-smoking room when booking.
France
La vie en rose is also largely smoke-free in France. There has been a strict ban on smoking in public areas since 2008. There are no exceptions for the traditional tobacco shops, which also function as bars.
Smoking is also taboo in public areas in hotels. Smoking rooms are allowed, but, like in Italy, only a very small number are available. Three quarters of the French even voted in a poll to ban smoking on the beach.
Holidaymakers in France can count on not sinking into clouds of smoke in their hotel rooms, restaurants or bars. Whether strolling through the streets of Paris, strolling along the coasts of Brittany or sunbathing on the beach – nothing stands in the way of a smoke-free holiday experience.
Greece
In no other European country are there as many smokers as in Greece. A study published in 2017 showed that Hellas is the sad leader with 37 percent smokers in the population. For comparison: In Germany at the time, 25 percent of the population smoked.
Nevertheless, strict rules for non-smoking protection have been in place in Greece since 2010, and in late 2019 the country even announced a tightening of the rules. Anyone who violates them, for example by smoking in public buildings or even in their own car – if there are children – must expect high fines. With these measures, the government wants to get the high smoking rate under control.
The small island of Astypalea is setting a good example: it wants to become the first completely smoke-free island in the world. In addition to the innumerable cigarette butts on the beach, the main reason for this decision was the island's motto: wellbeing and quality of life.
Holidaymakers can reach the less than 100 square kilometer Einöd in the Aegean by ferry or by plane from other Greek (air) ports such as Athens. The complicated journey is rewarded with turquoise sea, sandy beaches and climbing paths along the white limestone cliffs. For smokers for whom smoking cessation is out of the question and who would otherwise continue to smoke, there are alternatives – such as a tobacco heater or an e-cigarette.
Germany
If you want to spend a smoke-free vacation, you don't have to drive far. Holidays in their own country are experiencing a boom, especially in the times of Corona – and we have known that it is smoke-free in Germany since September 2007, when the Federal Non-Smoking Protection Act came into force in this country.
Holidaymakers in Germany like to flock to the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas. There are now more and more hotels there that completely ban smoking – both inside and outside. Mudflat hiking, building sand castles and breakfast on the hotel balcony can be enjoyed smoke-free in your own country.